Tricycle



Aug. 15, 1950 M. J. FRENCHIK 2,518,537

' TRICYCLE Filed June 10, 1948 I 2 sheets-sheet 1 5 INVENTOR. MIcHAELS FRENCHHQ ATTORNEY Aug. 15, 1950 M.IJ. FRENCHIK TRICYCLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 10, 4948 ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 15, 1950 r UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE r 2,51s,sa7 I Y TRIoYoLE v "Michael .Frenchik, Pittsburgh, Pa. Application June 10, 1948, Serial No. 32,186

My invention relates to tricycles, and has for one of itsobjects the provision of an improved arrangement of. transmission gearing and a gear case therefor, the case having a cover plate that can conveniently be removed for inspection'and greasingor lubrication of the transmission gears, the said cover serving, also as part of the bottom wall of a luggage'compartment, and the gear case constituting a part ofthe framework and body. of the vehicle.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved form of seat mounting for the vehicle.

Still another obiect of my invention is to provide a luggage'carrier or compartment of im: proved form and which is connected to the ve- 4 Claims. (01. em -202) hicle frame in a simplified and improvedmanner as compared to luggage compartments hereto fore used onvehi'cles."

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of the vehicle; Fig. 2 is a plan view 7 thereof; Fig. .3 is a view taken on-the line III-III of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a View taken'on the line IV-IV of Fig. 2; Fig. 5is a view taken on the line .V-V

of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a view taken on the line VI--VI of Fig. i, and; Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view showing means for locking the vehicle against unauthorized use.

The front wheel ill of the vehicle, its fork- H, handle bars l2 and "steering column I 3 may be of standard construction such as commonly found in bicycles. The fork l I has rigidly secured thereto a clip l4 that is provided. with yieldable fingers l5 extending upwardly therefrom in relativelyforked relation, along the sides of a frame bar 1 5 so that the fingers will yield to permit steering and will serve to thereafter automatically return the steering wheel It] to approximately a straightahead position. I

A second frame bar I1 is secured to the steering column is through which the steering shaft for the wheel It extends, and these bars I6--Il case and meshes with a gear wheel 23 that is.

rotatably mounted upon a shaft 24 that extends entirely through the gear case. A' second gear wheel 25 is rigidly connected with the gear wheel 23 so as to turn therewith. This gear wheel 25 serves to drive a gear wheel 26 that is secured to an axle 21 carried by the rear wheels 28. It

2 will be understood that the various gear wheels or their shaftswill usually be provided with conventional ball bearings.

The cover 20 for the gear case has flanges partly overlapping the faces of the side plates l9 as shown more clearly in Fig. 6, and its forward edge extends into a slot in a block 36 that serves as an extension for the gear case and to which the frame bars l6-l'| are directly connected. At its rear end, the cover plate is held in place by a screw 3|, that is accessible upon raising the trunk lid 49. When this screw is removed, the cover plate can simply be withdrawn for inspection and lubrication of the gears.

A seat 32 is supported by springs 33 that rest upon a cross bar "34. This cross 'bar is connected to the frame memberl'l by a strut 35, and the bar 34 is vertically-supported by legs 35 through whose lower end the rod or shaft 2 1 extends. The seat has a cross-strip 3'l-secured to its lower side and serving as a seat for the upper ends of the spring 33. The ends of this strip 31 are down Wardly and laterally bent as shown more clearly in Fig. 6, t0 extend beneath frame bars 38 whose forward endsare welded or otherwise connected to the legs36 and whose rear ends are secured at 39 to the rear end of the gear case.

The down-turned ends of the seat bar 31' are slidable along the vertical edges of the legs 35 during compression and expansion of the spring 33, upward movements of the seat being limited by the laterally-turned lower ends of this seat bar engaging beneath the lower edges of the frame members 38.

A luggage compartment 4!] has bottom wall portions 4| that extend alongside the gear case, the gear case cover 2U constituting a portion of the bottom wall for the compartment. The upper forward portion of the compartment has eX- tensions 42 that rest upon the bars 38 and have strips 43 connected thereto by screws, the strips extending laterally to support the mud guards 44 near their forward ends. Further rearwardly, the mud guards are connected to the sides of the compartment by straps 45 that may be welded or secured by screws to the compartment.

The lower body portion of the compartment All clips or short straps 46 welded thereto, and these clips are secured to the gear case by screws s1. Upon removal of the screws Al, the compartment can simply be lifted out of the frame.

The compartment it has a lid is hinged thereto and is held in place by a conventional rotatable latch 58. For inspection or lubrication of the gears, the lid M can simply be lifted and the screw 3| removed to prevent withdrawal of the gear case cover 20.

A rear bumper 5| is provided for the protection of the luggage compartment against collision damage. The arms 5la of this bumper are connected to the gear case H! by screws or bolts 21b that also support brace bars 21a for the axle 21, at each side of the gear case.

In order to prevent theft or unauthorized use of the vehicle, I provide (Fig. '7) a locking lever 54 that is pivotally mounted upon a plate 55 carried by one of the legs or uprights 36. There is a hole 55 in the bracket plate 55 and a hole 51 in the lever for receiving a padlock. When the lever 54 is swung to its dotted line position in Fig. 7 and locked there, the lower leg thereof will be in the path of the pedal or crank '22 to thereby hold the tricycle against being driven.

I claim as my invention:

1 A tricycle having a frame that unitarily connects the-steering column and rear axle of the vehicle, the frame comprising a bar con= nected at its forward end to the steering column,

a gear case connected at its forward end to the rear end of the said bar, the said axle extending through a rear portion of the gear case and hav ing a gear wheel through which power is applied to the rear wheels, a pedal shaft extending into the forward part of the gear case, gear wheels I in the case, for transmitting power from the pedal shaft to the rear axle, a shaft for one of .the gear wheels, extending through the side walls of the gear case, upwardly-extending seat-sup porting posts disposed at the sides of the gear a gear case which is supported near its rear end by an axle for the rear wheels of the vehicle, frame members connecting the forward end of the gear case to the steering column for the front wheel, transmission mechanism driven from a point near the forward end of the gear case, for rotating the axle and rear wheels secured thereto, seat-supporting members carried by the gear case at points adjacent to its mid portion, a cover for the gear case, extending rearwardly from between the seat-supporting members, and means adjacent to the rear end of the gear case, for detachably securing the cover thereto.

3. A tricycle having a frame that comprises a gear case which is supported near its rear end by an axle for the rear wheels of the vehicle, frame members connecting the forward end of the gear case to thesteering column for the front wheel, transmission mechanism driven from a point near the forward end of the gear case, for rotating the axle and rear wheels secured thereto, uprights on the gear case, near the middle thereof, for supporting a seat, a, brace bar connecting the uprights to said frame members, and brace bars connecting the uprights to the rear end of the gear case.

4. A tricycle having a frame that comprises a gear case which is supported near its rear end by an axle for the rear wheels of the vehicle, frame members connecting the forward end of the gear case to the steering column for the front wheel, transmission mechanism driven from a point near the forward end of the gear case, for rotating the axle and rear wheels secured thereto, uprights on the gear case, nearv the middle thereof, for supporting a seat; a cover for the gear case, extending rearwardly from the seat supporting members, means adjacent to the rear end of the gear case for detachably securing the cover thereto, a trunk compartment positioned on the gear case, with the said cover serving as a bottom wall for the compartment, and a rear door in the compartment serving for access thereto and for access to the detachable connection by which the said cover is secured to the gear case.

MICHAEL J. FRENCI-IIK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in th file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 579,753 .Henkel Mar. 30, 1897 1,374,513 Mosher et a1 Apr. 12, 1921 

